The present invention relates to information technology (IT) systems, and more particularly, to lift handles having safety interlocks for a rack-mounted enclosure.
Lift handles for rack-mounted IT equipment, such as servers and storage enclosures, are often located on sides of the equipment. While this provides an installer acceptable access to the handles, this configuration also provides several disadvantages.
Side handles that are used in the industry are sometimes removable with some latching features, or permanent which rotate from sides of the equipment. Removable handles are difficult to use because they force the installer to hold the weight of the system while removing the handle prior to the equipment being capable of sliding into the rack. Also, removable handles may be lost prior to the equipment being removed from the rack, which makes removal more difficult or impossible.
Permanently attached rotating handles always stay with the equipment; however, they also produce problems when the system has to be slid back into a rack on fixed rails. When the system is slid back into the rack, the location of the handles to the side of the chassis may cause the hands of the installer to contact the rack door or the front edge of the rack during installation, which may be quite painful for the installer and/or cause the installer to lose control of the equipment, which may lead to damage to the equipment. Additionally, the handles are always available to an installer, regardless of whether the installer should utilize the handles or not to lift the equipment, for example when the equipment is too heavy to be lifted safely with the handles.